First of all, you need to eliminate several errors that are most often found in speech. To do this, record your public speech or just a meeting with colleagues on a voice recorder. Then analyze your speech using these points to see what you need to work on:
When preparing a public speech or a working meeting with a client, think in advance about what you want to say, sketch out a rough outline and phrases that seem successful to you. Under no circumstances should you read from a piece of paper. If you feel that you can’t do without your notes, prepare small cards with key words - this method is often used by American students and others.
How to learn to speak beautifully and competently? If you have doubts about the correctness of some stresses and speech structures in general, check them using an online dictionary. You should definitely clarify the meaning of words that you are not sure about.
A good public speaking should not be boring or too long. To keep the audience's attention, ask the audience a couple of interesting questions (for example, “Who has tried this?”) and ask participants to raise their hands. A good addition to the speech can be handouts that contain information on the topic.
How to learn to speak beautifully: exercises
Speech development is important not only for younger children school age. Most adults would also do well to address this issue.
- Find inspiring examples. To do this, you can listen to online lectures, for example, TED. There you will definitely find speakers you will like. Analyze their performance and take note of successful techniques.
- Read more. The richer your vocabulary, the brighter your speech will become! In preparation for public speaking do not forget to use a dictionary of synonyms to get rid of repetitions in the text.
- Compose short stories. How to learn to speak beautifully and express your thoughts correctly? Choose five random words and try to use them to compose a small coherent text. This is a great way to train your logic and imagination!
- Record your future performance on a voice recorder. This way you can correct possible shortcomings in advance.
Compare with this option:
The other day I couldn't speak because nothing came to mind.
Last week, while talking to a potential client, I couldn't say a word because my mind was blank.
Which example do you think is better and more likely to grab people's attention? Of course, the last one.
If in 1987 US President Ronald Reagan, in his speech Speech by R. Reagan in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin O Berlin Wall said something like:
This wall is something um... that shouldn't be there, so anyway, let's get it out of the way quickly.
Such a message would simply be lost in the information flow. Instead, a laconic and succinct challenge was thrown:
Tear down this wall!
Surely you have noticed (if not in yourself, then in someone around you) speech defects of a rhythmic nature. When words are pronounced abruptly, with too many pauses, or vice versa, a person jabbers so that the listener does not have time to understand his thoughts.
To experience the difference in perception, try saying the phrase below. Pronounce each syllable clearly and take short pauses between words. Listen to the sound of your speech:
Today I will go to the gym. Perhaps with a friend.
You will end up with what is called “stepped” speech, in which too much emphasis is placed on individual syllables, and this is a mistake.
Now try mixing each word with the next one so that it looks like one whole passage. Read through without hesitation, but without too much haste:
Today I-went-to-the-gym-with-a-friend.
This option may seem a little careless. In fact, speech with such smooth transitions becomes easier to understand by ear.
As for the pace being too fast, there is a risk of not only being misunderstood, but also of blurting out something unnecessary (for example, in a fit of emotion). Again, recording on a voice recorder will help you track your speech speed.
Try to breathe deeply before each sentence and think that you are being listened to with great interest and that you are in no hurry.
3. Inability to use body language
Many people know the difference between closed and open, but continue to use closed gestures when, on the contrary, they should open.
Movements and facial expressions are characterized as open if they express a friendly attitude and readiness to interact: when the palms are not hidden, the gaze is directed into the eyes of the interlocutor, the feet are turned in his direction, and the like. Closed gestures include crossed arms or legs, glances to the side or at the phone, clenched fists - anything that shows tension or even aggression.
We all have natural tendencies to behave in one way or another depending on the situation. If you disagree with someone, your body automatically reacts: you constrict your pupils, turn your head away, cross your arms. Conversely, when you are understood, listened to and supported, you unconsciously open up.
However, it is not always worth giving non-verbal signals to your interlocutor; often the situation requires the opposite. Try to control your body movements and facial expressions when speaking. Pay attention to the position of your hands and which facial muscles are tense. With practice, you can manage this.
4. Habit of arguing
Expressing disagreement in itself is not a bad thing. As they say, truth is born in dispute. This is how creative ideas appear, an incentive to learn and improve something. All this can be useful and necessary for social interaction, even if you are against many people.
Disagreement can be considered a mistake only when nothing depends or changes on the agreement or disagreement of the interlocutors. That is, if it is an empty dispute that does not bring any results other than irritating opponents. The point of such discussions is not to learn anything new. When you argue that someone is wrong, you are engaging them in a verbal battle for status. And that is why most debaters remain unconvinced - to maintain dignity.
The next time you hear a point of view that is ridiculous or incorrect in your opinion, first find out why the person thinks so, rather than rushing to refute him.
If, even after listening to the arguments, you do not agree with someone’s opinion, do not enter into a useless argument. Instead, move the conversation to another topic where you can come to an understanding. Is there no such area? Then just avoid communicating with this person.
5. Lack of topics to talk about
In an unfamiliar company or in a conversation with people new to you, words can very quickly dry up due to difficulties in choosing general theme. Probably, each of us at least once in our lives had to pull some phrases out of ourselves, trying to fill out awkward pauses. In order not to find yourself in uncomfortable situations, you can come up with a list of routine topics in advance and use them on occasion.
Imagine the circumstances when you want to start a conversation with an unfamiliar or unfamiliar interlocutor: near the cooler at work, when meeting in a cafe, at a bus stop.
Prepare 10 topics that are suitable for conversation with any person in any situation.
It's easier than it seems. For example, you can always ask about life or work (of course, unobtrusively and delicately), discuss last news(but it is advisable to avoid politics), ask for advice on some issue. A win-win, although not very interesting, option is talking about the weather.
6. Illiterate speech
We should not forget that a conversation with a literate, educated person is perceived better than with someone who is confused about cases and vocabulary. Improve your speech culture, read more, use dictionaries. But at the same time, it is important to remember a sense of proportion: do not turn into a boring smartass and do not burden your interlocutor with phrases and terms that are too complex for him.
These are the most common mistakes in colloquial speech. Do you have any of them? Maybe you know a good way to get rid of them? Share your experience in the comments.
A nondescript, gray-haired professor worked at one university: he wore thick glasses and terribly old-fashioned suits. It is very easy to miss such a person in a crowd.
But as soon as he entered the classroom and began to speak, a miracle of transformation took place: the eyes of the entire audience were riveted on the professor, and even the lazy people in the last rows listened to his every word.
From his lips flowed such competent, clear speech, such intelligent and deep thoughts that from an old man he turned into a stately, representative speaker. Nobody noticed his thick glasses, bald head and threadbare suit anymore. Isn't it amazing?
Agree: clear, consistent and convincing presentation of your thoughts is a real art. And in order for your words to be listened to in the same way as that professor, you need to give a speech and learn to speak competently. This will be useful to you in any area of life.
Thanks to these skills, you can be the life of the party, easily convince a potential partner to sign a contract with you, speak effectively in front of an audience and achieve any goals you set.
Where does beautiful speech come from?
A child’s beautiful speech is the merit of his parents. It is advisable to develop conversational skills from childhood. This is facilitated by visiting a theater studio or poetry club, as well as constantly reading and learning poetry.
The childhood of the modern generation is inextricably linked with computers, which is why there is practically no time left for books. This is a very important shortcoming of many parents, because in the question of how to learn to speak beautifully, reading is indispensable.
Language and literature lessons at school make a significant contribution to the development of children's speech. If school teachers do not produce the desired results, parents must take the situation into their own hands.
Worth considering individual sessions with your child, or enroll him in private lessons with another teacher who will help him develop the art of speaking freely on any topic.
But what if your parents missed out on the development of beautiful speech as a child? Don't get upset and think that you have no chance of learning to speak clearly. You can still catch up, it’s never too late to improve!
How to make your speech beautiful
These tips seem simple, but only constant adherence to them will lead to the desired result. You can deliver a speech without outside help, all you need is self-control and discipline.
The words “in short”, “well”, “like”, “this”, “as if”, “how to say”, “in general”, “you know”, “actually”, “let’s say”, when repeated many times, destroy all the charm of our presentation, even if we are talking about “smart” things.
Get a special piggy bank and put a certain amount of money into it for each mistake you make in a conversation. There are “punishment boxes” in many offices. In this way, companies are fighting slang and profanity among their employees.
It is not convenient to do exercises everywhere and not always, so you can write down tasks in a notebook and complete everything that has accumulated during the day in the evening or the next morning.
Just don't evade punishment. Your best assistant is self-control. Over time, you will speak clearly and intelligibly, the main thing is not to give up.
Reading and reading again
An effective way to develop speech in adults and children is reading. You don't need to read everything. Classic literature or special books on speech development are perfect.
We can recommend such works as “The Living and the Dead Word” by Nora Gal, “From Adam’s Apple to the Apple of Discord” by Vadim Khrapp and “Alive as Life” by Korney Chukovsky.
There is a lot of worthy literature on the Internet, reading which will help you improve your speech and expand your vocabulary.
Retelling what you read can increase efficiency. Just ask someone to monitor how correctly and consistently you present the text.
As you read, you will come across interesting quotes. We recommend writing down the ones you especially like in a notebook so that you can re-read them and remember them from time to time.
In addition to books, social networks are also teeming with clever phrases and excerpts from books. It doesn’t matter where the quotes come from, it’s much more important to remember them.
IN the right situation your brain will tell you who is worth quoting. Such a sudden coloration of speech can turn your words into a real masterpiece of oratory.
Exercises to improve speech
One of the good exercises for those who are learning how to speak correctly is the selection of synonyms.
The richer your vocabulary, the easier it will be for you to avoid tautologies and other signs of poor speech. Download one of the applications on your smartphone that helps you select synonyms.
When you are bored or can spare 5-7 minutes to yourself, look for replacements for the words that are most often used in your speech.
For those who suffer from pronunciation defects, it will be useful to make an appointment with a speech therapist. Forget about stereotypes - not only children, but also adults visit this specialist.
To make your speech sound clear and fast, there are also a couple of good exercises. Memorizing tongue twisters and difficult to pronounce phrases greatly improves your diction and will help you achieve your goal.
Do you want to learn how to speak correctly? Listen to beautiful speech more often. Audio recordings of books, speeches by speakers, poems and poems - any source of delivered pronunciation will be useful.
Pace yourself and use several methods at the same time. An integrated approach gives the best results.
By setting a goal to improve your speech and showing persistence, you may well become a person whom your interlocutors listen to with pleasure. Believe in yourself and your strength.
To speak correctly and beautifully, so that you are understood, you need to speak!
Try to talk more with people (especially on topics that you want to speak about clearly and beautifully): discuss, argue, criticize, explain, defend yourself;
Try to listen carefully to those whom you like to listen to, talk to them, even if at first not everything goes well - adrenaline when picking up the right words helps more often.
Read aloud. Practice your diction, because speaking is the result of the work of air and muscles vocal cords. In some cases, it doesn’t even matter what exactly you read or whether you understand it. (I heard that the most useful thing is to read plays).
Read interesting books, which could tune your brain to the thinking from which your speech would be born. (In my case these were various teaching aids And science articles, the purpose of which was precisely to explain something clearly and understandably. A couple of books from the 80s were especially difficult, but after a while I began to understand them too).
It wouldn’t hurt to learn the basics of speech culture, the rules of arguing, etc. (We had curriculum several lectures.)
Learn to argue your opinion. When you are confident in something and rely not only on your views/intuition, but also on objective facts, the opinions of experts, when you understand the topic of conversation, it is easiest to speak!
If possible and necessary, use all opportunities to demonstrate yourself as a speaker: whether you are giving a toast to unfamiliar relatives or retelling an essay (sometimes also unfamiliar) - this is a powerful training against the fear of speaking.
Learn to see the narrative script. If it is possible and necessary to prepare a speech, you always need to clearly understand the structure: how to greet, where to start, how to move on to relevance, to problems, to conclusions, to proposals, and how to summarize and finish this whole thing before they interrupt you and start to ask questions. You can create cheat sheets with a structure, but no prepared phrases (!), otherwise your brain will try to somehow cram them into your speech, and your presentation will look torn into coherent pieces and “something in between.”
There are many helper phrases that structure your story and your opponent’s attention. Use them. “The task was” “Thus”, “In other words”, “According to experts” “In conclusion we can say”, etc.
Figurative thinking, epithets, allegories, comparisons, hyperboles - our language is full of means of expression. Remind yourself what this is and try to decorate your speech with emotional inserts and, perhaps, small lyrical digressions. If you are planning a “lyrical digression”, do not forget to mentally leave an “anchor” at the moment to which you plan to return, otherwise you may find yourself in the awkward position of “so what am I talking about...”.
I set myself the goal of speaking coherently on the eve of defending my thesis project, where I had to tell a year of hard work in 15 minutes. But for the first time, I asked myself the question of beautiful speech, as I wrote at the beginning, no less than two years earlier. This was due to the fact that I was not going to do this “on purpose”, I wanted to combine business (and not so much) with business, since I believe that speech can and should flow on its own, and it only needs to be guided a little.